What does a RIC Humbucker sound like?

[deaconblues]

Would those of you with HB-1 experience use them in the neck or the bridge position?

[johnallg]

If you were going for deep bass, put it in the neck. If you are going for the Rick grind, put it in the bridge. Dane W had an HB-1 in the bridge of his 8-string CS conversion when I heard it and it was HUGE. Clear, punchy, and articulate.

[longhouse]

At least three uses of the word 'articulate'.

Admirable sustain on tap (sic.) with the HBs too.

To hear Ric humbuckers used in rhythm and lead roles go here:

http://www.myspace.com/noelchristianriddell

'Double Argent' features my 650A/VT ...which comes in at 1:07 and 2:34 (with slide and the rare Ric Hi-Tek vibrato).

'Seaside' has the Ric HBs on the main guitar part (lead bits are my 1997).

[cassius987]

Would those of you with HB-1 experience use them in the neck or the bridge position?

Both, but I always prefer paired pickups for some reason. I don't think these pickups are too muddy to be neck pickups (at 1'' spacing on a 4003 I'm getting a nice ballsy tone out of it), and they sound fantastic in the bridge position too.

[ram]

Would those of you with HB-1 experience use them in the neck or the bridge position?

I have one in my '74 4001. That is what I was typing about in my previous post. Quieter than the HG that was there and a bit lower. But very clean and crisp at the same time. If it matters I play with a pick.

[sloop_john_b]

Would those of you with HB-1 experience use them in the neck or the bridge position?

Dan, my experience with them in guitars is that they're pretty darn muddy. I would only put one in the bridge position. Though using a different value pot might help matters in that area.

[whojamfan]

I bought an HB1 a few years back to throw in the bridge of my 330. The old button top hi gains sounded too muddy to me, and I was intrigued by the HB1.I was under the impression that it could be wired up(like any other 4 conductor humbucker)for serires/parallel/single, and or just single coil that would make both pickups hum cancel when used together.

It indeed can be, just wanted to clarify that.

[8mileshigher]

I just rewired my 370WB this afternoon so it has humbuckers at the neck & middle & a hi-gain at the bridge. I'm stunned at the versatility this gave me, it does everything. The mellow HB's blend tones really well with the bright hi-gain. There is some volume difference between them but not so bad that you can't comp with different attack.

Dom --- resurrecting your post from a year or so ago.....
Do you have a schematic or a "home made" diagram of how you wired up your 370 WB with the combo of Humbucker and High Gains ?? Been thinking about doing something like this for the 370 I recently acquired (came with three High Gains) because the bridge pickup is exremely low-gain compared to the other two.

I had inquired about this three-pickup wiring on the other thread about the Susanna Hoffs model . The 350SH listed on E-Bay has two Toasters (Neck and Middle) and a Humbucker in the Bridge. There is no schematic on the Ric company website for the 350SH model wiring with the single Humbucker.... and we sort of got derailed from the wiring aspects of the E-Bay listing, on that other thread, once the pretty pictures of Susanna were posted.
And the discussion that her own SH model has been wired with a Strat 5-way switch... doesn't help my inquiry.

Thanks

[RutleDirk]

To me, they sound very much like hi-gains, except in that they're not as bright. Way more definition and better balance than a Gibson humbucker.

[iiipopes]

The reason for the volume drop with the volume knobs in different positions is that an HB-1 is not necessarily wired in the same phase, electrically or magnetically, as a toaster or highgain. Some rewiring might be necessary to use both on the same guitar. For me, they have a mid bump @ 1 to 1.5kHz. Less top end. Less jangle, more "push." Wide open, they actually remind me more of a Dimarzio FRED, with an "aw" tone, but stopping just short of "whang."

Yes, they are dead quiet. Quiet enough to go straight to board for PBS national broadcast in spite of the noise of commercial stage lighting.

[Grey]

Has anyone heard the 481 humbuckers? I haven't as yet although I do own one. It's a long, long, long story...

There's a 481 demo up on YouTube. The guy really can't play guitar but it'll give you an idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A4Gp8UZ4Fo

[AlohaT]

Here is a sample of our 481 it is a 77 model year, the humbuckers are quite hot. My son was rockin it, soooo I grabbed the camera. Hope this helps. If I get some time we will try to up load more samples with high gain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... _sO4E6mUEw

[johnhall]

The 480 Series humbuckers are a completely different animal than an HB-1 or HB-2, much more like a traditional humbucker. The HB's were pretty much a clean sheet design, with totally different aperture, field, phasing, and impedance- and as a result, have a distinct sound of their own. It's much closer to a single-coil sound, with the benefit of hum cancelling.

[Grey]

The 480 Series humbuckers are a completely different animal than an HB-1 or HB-2, much more like a traditional humbucker. The HB's were pretty much a clean sheet design, with totally different aperture, field, phasing, and impedance- and as a result, have a distinct sound of their own. It's much closer to a single-coil sound, with the benefit of hum cancelling.

Wern't those pickups also used in the never-released 490, which I believe resides in your collection?

[soundmasterg]

The RIC humbuckers are about as loud as a guitar that I have with Duncan Full Shred pickups in it, so they are powerful. They are slightly brighter than the Duncan pickups, and remain clear and articulate at high distortion levels. At lower levels of gain, they have an interesting sound still, but are too compressed and dirty for some things, and don't jangle nearly as nicely as the toasters or even the high gains, though they jangle more than many non-RIC guitars. The humbuckers are 14-15k but are brighter than many Gibson full size pickups due to their narrow footprint. They can be a bit harsh on the highs sometimes depending on the guitar/amp and music style that you're playing, possibly due to the hot Samarium Cobalt magnets that are used in them. I have a pair of them on a 1989 230 and use flats on that guitar to tame some highs. I like the pickups myself....they're one more paintbrush in the box, but I like some other styles of pickups better that seem to be more versatile for more types of music. Still, I won't ever get rid of this guitar so that tells you something about those pickups.......as others have said, they are articulate, and definitely have their own sound.

Greg